KTAR News reported that the U.S. Army found many systemic breakdowns that led to last year's midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter near Washington D.C., and that the Army recommended numerous steps the military should take to prevent future tragedies. KTAR News also reported that the military has not publicly released its report on what the outlet described as the deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil.
When a crash involves a government vehicle, a government employee on duty, or a public agency whose decisions contributed to the harm, the claim runs on a different track than an ordinary collision between two private drivers. In Arizona, a person bringing a claim against the state, a county, a city, or their employees must serve a written notice of claim within 180 days of when the claim accrues under A.R.S. § 12-821.01, and that notice must state a specific sum that will settle the claim. Missing the deadline usually ends the case before it starts, even when responsibility looks obvious. Claims against federal agencies or the armed forces run through a separate federal administrative process with its own filing requirements and time limits. The two-year personal injury deadline in A.R.S. § 12-542 still sits in the background, but the shorter government deadlines are the ones that dispose of claims first. Identify every potentially responsible entity early.
Arizona Deadlines Are Shorter When a Public Entity Is Involved
Two clocks matter. The first is the 180-day notice of claim under A.R.S. § 12-821.01. The notice must go to the correct person or office for that entity, must describe the facts supporting liability, and must name a specific settlement figure with the facts supporting that figure. A letter that says you intend to sue is not enough.
The second clock is the time to file the lawsuit itself, which Arizona shortens for actions against public entities and public employees. Do not assume the full two years in A.R.S. § 12-542 is available to you. If there is any chance a city, county, state agency, transit system, school district, or public employee had a role, treat the file as if the deadline is months away rather than years away.
Federal involvement changes the analysis again. Claims arising from the conduct of federal agencies or military personnel generally must be presented to the agency administratively before any lawsuit can be filed, and the presentation requirements are strict. Those rules are federal, not Arizona law, and a claim can be lost by filing in the wrong forum first.
When Someone Dies: Wrongful Death and Survival Claims
Arizona separates the claims that arise from a fatal incident. The wrongful death statutes, A.R.S. § 12-611 through A.R.S. § 12-613, create a claim brought on behalf of the surviving spouse, children, parents, or the estate, and they compensate the survivors for their own losses: lost income and support, lost companionship, and grief and sorrow. A separate survival action under A.R.S. § 14-3110 belongs to the estate and covers what the person who died suffered and lost before death, including medical expenses and lost earnings.
Who may bring the claim and who receives the money are legal questions that families often get wrong on their own. A personal representative usually has to be appointed through probate before the case can move. That appointment takes time, and the notice of claim deadline does not pause while a family sorts it out.
Practical Steps While an Official Investigation Is Still Open
Official investigations into large or complex incidents can take a year or longer, and the agency that investigates is sometimes the same institution whose conduct is under review. Reports may stay unreleased for extended periods. Waiting for a final report before taking any action is the most common way families run out of time.
- Write down what you personally saw, heard, and were told, with dates, while it is fresh.
- Keep every medical record, bill, explanation of benefits, and out-of-pocket receipt.
- Do not give a recorded statement to any insurer or agency representative before you understand who they represent.
- Preserve physical evidence and any photos or video, including anything on a phone that may be replaced or wiped.
- Send written preservation requests early; records, data, and communications held by institutions are often subject to routine deletion schedules.
Expect an argument about shared responsibility. Arizona uses pure comparative fault under A.R.S. § 12-2505, which reduces recovery by the percentage of fault assigned to the injured person but does not bar it. A defendant who cannot avoid liability will often try to shift a percentage of it instead, so the factual record you build matters even when another party's failures are already documented.
If you were hurt or lost a family member in a collision in Arizona, our Arizona car accident attorneys can tell you which deadline applies to your situation before it runs.